You can link system components and Excel spreadsheets, so when a component is applied or modified, an associated Excel spreadsheet application can be run. The configuration
information is passed from the component to the spreadsheet, calculation run within the spreadsheet and component properties passed back to the connection.
Tekla Structures includes sample spreadsheet for connection design and a template spreadsheet you should use to create your own spreadsheet applications to use with Tekla Structures components.
Before you start:
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Create the connections and parts.•
Create the Excel spreadsheet for connection type, or use a predefined file. See more in Setting up Excel files (p. 58).To use the Excel spreadsheet for connection design:
1. Double-click the connection to open the connection properties dialog box.
2. Go to the Design (or Design type) tab and select Excel in the External design list box.
3. Click Modify.
4. The connection properties are transferred from Tekla Structures to a connection type specific Excel spreadsheet, where the properties are calculated.
5. The calculated properties are saved to an output file.
6. The modified properties are transferred back to Tekla Structures and the connection is modified according to the changes.
Topics Setting up Excel files (p. 58)
End plate (144) Bracing cross (19)
Shear plate simple (146) Tube gusset (20) Welded to top flange (147) Tube crossing (22) Welded to top flange S (149) Gusset wrapped cross (62) Moment connection (181) Wrapped cross (61) Column with stiffeners W (182) Welded gusset (10) Full depth (184)
Full depth S (185)
Column with stiffeners (186) Column with stiffeners S (187) Column with stiffeners (188) Bent plate (190)
Shear plate tube column (189)
Connections Connections
You can use Excel in connection design for all steel components that have the Design tab in their properties dialog box.
Indicating component status (p. 60)
Setting up Excel files
The following list describes what kind of files are needed for performing connection design with Excel:
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Visual Basic script file linking Tekla Structures with external software.•
Excel spreadsheet containing calculations.•
Component type specific spreadsheet, which contains predefined calculations.•
When you run the connection design, the connection properties and information of the main and secondary parts are transferred to the Input and Component sheets of the spreadsheet.•
Connection specific result file, which displays the modified connection properties is stored to model folder.•
This file is created automatically from the Calculation sheet of the spreadsheet.•
The file is updated each time you modify the connection.•
Calculation results can be stored as Excel spreadsheet, HTML or PDF format, depending on how calculation spreadsheet is configured.File names and
locations Excel.vb file (located in the ..\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\common\exceldesign folder) defines the Excel spreadsheet file names and the locations. Excel searches for the spreadsheet in the following order and with following name:
1. File named component_ + number or name + .xls, from the current model folder: ..\<model>\exceldesign
For example, ..\test_model\exceldesign\component_144.xls 2. File name and path defined with advanced option
XS_EXTERNAL_EXCEL_DESIGN_PATH:
XS_EXTERNAL_EXCEL_DESIGN_PATH
(=%XS_DIR%\environments\common\exceldesign\) + "component_"
+ number + ".xls"
By default, the result file is stored in the model folder and named with component ID. For example, component_9502_res.xls.
Sample implementation
Below is descibed the contents of an Excel spreadsheet which is used for End plate (144) connection:
When user clicks Modify in the End plate (144) properties dialog box, Excel.vb file calls Excel spreadsheet named component_144.xls.
Contents The sample spreadsheet includes the following sheets:
Inputs (user inputs on connection dialog).
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Tekla Structures transfers the component properties from the component properties dialog box to this sheet.Component
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Tekla Structures transfers the component geometry and information on the main and secondary parts (for example, part profiles) into this sheet. The component attributes in the spreadsheet are the same as in the corresponding .inp file. See more about .inp files in Input files.•
This sheet includes calculations (the calculations can be as Visual Basic macros in the sheet).Calculation
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Summary of calculation is collected to the Calculation sheet. This page or full Excel spreadsheet can be stored as a report of the calculation.Outputs
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Excel adds the modified values to the Output sheet. These values are tranferred back to the connection and connection in the model is modified accordingly.Indicating component status
When you use Excel in connection design, you can have Tekla Structures use different colored component symbols to indicate the status of a component in the model.
To do this, include the error attribute on the Output page of the Excel spreadsheet for the component. The possible values are:
Value Color Status
1 Green Bolt edge distances are sufficient.
Passes the connection design check using the UK and US design codes embedded in the system.
2 Yellow Bolt edge distances are insufficient according to the value in Tools > Options > Options... >
Components.
3 Red Tekla Structures cannot calculate the component properties. Possible reasons include:
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Incorrect connection direction•
Incorrect workplane•
Inappropriate connection selected•
The connection design check was carried out using the embedded UK and US design codes and the connection cannot support the loading defined by the user.2 Custom Components
Introduction Tekla Structures contains a set of tools for defining intelligent connections, parts, seams, and details, called custom components. You can create your own components, similar to Tekla Structures system components. Tekla Structures creates a dialog box for the custom
component, which you can easily customize, if required.
You can then use custom components in the same way as any Tekla Structures system component.
You can also edit custom components to create parametric custom components that automatically adjust to changes in the model.
Audience This chapter is aimed at people who know how to use Tekla Structures components.
Contents This chapter includes the following topics, which are the steps you follow to create custom components: